Apparatus for the transfer and rolling of wrappers onto cigar rolls or the like



May 2, 1967 H. GEYER APPARATUS FOR THE TRANSFER AND ROLL ING OF WRAPPERS ONTO CIGAR ROLLS OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 16, 1961 INVENTOR AZ-PBEPT 6'5 YB? changes in motions, the

United States Patent many Filed Oct. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 145,415 Claims. (Cl. 131-105) The present invention relates to apparatus for the transfer of a cigar-filler wrapper from the stamping bed or table to the rolling nest and for the application of the Wrapper to the cigar filler during the rolling operation, and this application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 111,600, filed May 22, 1961, now abandoned.

Apparatus are known which comprise an arm hinged to a rotatably mounted arm, and in which a suction head is rotatably held in the first arm, the suction head being rotatable around an axis passing through its center. The drive for this type of apparatus consists of co-ordinated rotating cams and gear segment levers for the rotating arm, while the hinged arm and the rotation of the suction head are controlled by levers and links guided along stationary fiat curves.

Further apparatus are known in which several cam guide curves control the motion of the two arms as well as that of the suction head. To secure an improved overrolling of the cigar filler, apparatus have been developed in which the axis of rotation of the suction head is at the same end as the wrapper part for rolling of the front cigar-filler end. a

In all known apparatus a plurality of rotating cams and stationary guide curves as well as control levers are necessary to transfer the wrapper from the stamping bed to the rolling nest, or station and further, for the rolling operation thereat. These apparatus have the disadvantage that, if stationary flat guide curves are used, it is not possible to move the suction head in any optional direction so as to apply the wrapper to the cigar filler in the desired direction and with the desired velocity during the rolling operation. Further, the theoretical or experimental planning of the guide curves for various shapes of cigar fillers is time consuming for these known apparatus, particularly since even for small guide curves must be individually and mutually adjusted.

According to the present invention, a suction head is rotatably mounted in a support which is radially slidable on a swivel arm. The various motions of the suction head are independently controlled by separate cams.

The support for the suction head is mounted to slide radially along a shaft secured to the swivel arm, and the support is guided in its radial movement by a key engaging a groove in the region of the swivel arm. The suction head is rotated about its axis by a drive hav ing a 1:1 ratio of transmission, for instance by the intermediary of bevel gears having inverse transmission ratios. The radial displacement between the two pairs of bevel gears is made possible by a keyed shaft which slides in a sleeve so as to provide a coupling. To assure a satisfactory rolling of the Wrapper onto the cigar filler, the swivel arm is preferably arranged in the vertical plane which comprises the axis of the cigar filler to be rolled, whereby satisfactory stretching of the cigar wrapper is obtained while it is applied to the cigar filler.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the transfer and the application of a cigar Wrapper to a cigar filler.

'shaft 8 and is guided by a roller 3,31 6,9 18 Patented May 2, 1967 It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the axis of rotation of the suction head is aligned with the front or ignited end of the cigar filler.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the suction head is journaled in a manner freely movable by its drive in each direction of a plane. The Wrapper will thus be applied to the cigar filler with the necessary stretch.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a machine in which the suction head is rotatable around its main axis, and revolvable about an axis spaced from said main axis, the spacing between the two axes being adjustable, and to provide a continuous and coordinated drive for such motions.

It is still another important object of the present invention that separate guide curves are provided for controlling the lateral reciprocation as well as the rotation of the suction head, and the radial motion of the plate member carrying the suction head. Although perferably driven from a common shaft, each respective cam performs its controlling function independently from the motions originated by the other cams.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is versatile and reliable in operation, yet simple in structure.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing showing a specific embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of an apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view illustrating the paths of the various elements of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial top View taken along line 33 of FIG. 1, showing one of the controlling cams.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, a hub 3 of an arm plate 2 is rotatably mounted on an upright bearing 1. The hub 3 carries a gear 4 which meshes with a gear segment lever 5. The lever 5 is driven through its follower 51 by a rotating cam 6, having an inner guide groove 52 for positively controlling the movement of the arm plate 2 through the intermediary of the elements 51, 5, 4 and 3. Thus a swivel motion is imparted to the arm plate 2. The cam 6 is attached to a main drive shaft 41 controlling the entire operation of the apparatus.

A hearing support 7 for a cigar-wrapper suction head 16 is slidably mounted on a shaft 8 supported on the arm plate 2. The bearing support 7 is spaced apart from the swivel axis L of the arm plate 2 and is movable towards and away from said axis. The support 7 slides on the 9 which follows a slot 10 of the arm plate 2 when the bearing support 7 is displaced. The sliding movement of the support 7 is imparted by a tie rod 11, an L-shaped lever 12 and 12a, a push rod 13, and a two-armed lever 14, one end of the latter carrying a cam follower 53 in a groove 54 of a rotating cam 15. This cam is also attached to the main drive shaft 41.

The suction head 16 is eccentric with respect to its suction duct 17 which is effective as an arm rotatably mounted in the bearing support 7. Through the duct 17, negative pressure may be applied by suitable means (not shown) for picking up and holding a cigar Wrapper against the bottom surface of the suction head 16. The suction head 16 is controlled to bear a definite relation to the support ing arm plate 2 by a drive consisting of two pairs of bevel gears 18, 19, and 20, 21, respectively, having inverse ratios, so that rotation of the arm plate 2 will be accompanied by an appropriate but opposite angular motion of the suction ad 16. For reason of the 1:1 overall ratio shown, the ction head 16 will retain its orientation in space during e swivel motion of the arm plate 2, i.e., the suction head i will move parallel to itself regardless of the angular )sition of the arm plate .2 around its axis L.

The bevel gear 20 sits on a shaft 22 which slides by cans of a key 38 in a sleeve 23 having a corresponding 'oove 39 so as to provide a slide coupling, whereby the lotion head 16 can be radially displaced relative to the .ain axis L at the upright bearing 1. Numeral 40 de- Jtes the inner bore of sleeve 23 within which the shaft 2 is slidable. The sleeve 23 is rigid with a bearing 24 :cured to the bearing support 7, while the shaft 22 is I111I12116d in a bearing 25 on the arm plate 2. The bevel ear 19 is secured to a tenon 37 which is journaled in the caring 24.

The bevel gear 21 rotates around the upright bearing 1 nd is secured to or integral with a gear 26. The gear 6 is driven by a gear segment lever 27 which is conrolled by a cam follower 55 guided in an inner guide roove 56 of a rotating cam 28, the latter being similar a cam 6 and also attached to the main drive shaft 41. bus the position of the suction head 16 is positively conrolled from shaft 41 through the inner guide groove 56 -f cam 28, elements 27 and 26, and gears 21, 20, 19 and 18.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view illustrating the cooperation If follower 51 in groove 52 of cam 6. It is understood hat the arrangement of cam 28, with its groove 56 and he follower 55 guided therein, is similar to the showing )f FIG. 3, the grooves being however different in their )aths and locations, so as to perform the controlling rctions assigned thereto. The gear segment lever as- :ociated with cam 6 is supported by a frame member 42, While the gear segment lever 27 co-operating with cam 28 s journaled to a frame member 4 3.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that iuring the rotation of cam 6, follower 51 will not be moved from its position indicated in FIG. 3 as long as it remains within the concentric portion of groove 52. Angular movement of follower 51, and the attached lever 5, occurs only while the former is guided by an eccentric portion of the groove. The operatively connected system 5-4-3-2 will thus be immobilized for certain periods although cam 6 is rotating, and while one or both of the other cams 15, 28 per-form their functions. Similarly, grooves 54, 56 have portions which do not impart angular movement to the respective followers 53, 55. Each one of the associated swivelling, reciprocating and rotational movements of the apparatus is thus performed independently from the control motions originated by the two other cams.

Referring now to FIG. 2, if it is desired to move the suction duct 17 from its location denoted A to another location marked B, the arm plate 2 is rotated around the axis L through an angle identified as alpha into the position shown in broken lines, and the bearing support 7 with the suction duct 17 is shifted outwardly by a distance d. The suction head 16 is simultaneously rotated while its orientation in space remains unchanged. The further transfer to a stamping bed or table 32 is accomplished in an analogous manner, as shown by the heavy dot-dash path P of FIG. 2.

In previously known apparatus, the arm plate 2 is not aligned with the center line of a cigar filler 33, and, as indicated by the axis L in FIG. 2, the corresponding curves required for the contemplated movements must be relatively corrected, which has .a detrimental effect on the supply and on the rolling of the wrapper onto the cigar filler.

By the arrangement shown herein, the arm plate 2 is advantageously positioned with its swivel axis L along the center line of the cigar filler 33 to be overrolled with the cigar wrapper carried by the suction head 16; this arrangement makes possible a shift of the suction duct 17 of the suction head 16 in either of the directions indicated by the arrows S and F (denoting sideward and forward movements respectively). This shift is frequently required to obtain a perfect stretching of the wrapper during the overrolling of the front end of the cigar filler 33.

The cigar wrapper is applied by the suction head 16 to the front end of the cigar filler 33. With this operation performed, the cigar filler, activated lay the cylinders of the rolling station (not shown), starts turning in the rolling nest. At the same time the wrapper is removed from the suction head 16 and the two speedson the one hand, that of the rotation of the cigar filler in the rolling nest, and on the other hand, that of the horizontal motion of the suction head 16 in either of the directions S and F, are properly correlated so as to sufficiently stretch the Wrapper, assuring thus a uniform manner of rolling the same on the cigar filler.

The co-operation of the inventive apparatus with the associated stamping and rolling stations is as follows: The cigar wrapper is placed manually on the stamping bed or table 32, and then trimmed with a cutting device. The cutting device consists of cylinders which are moved back and forth, at table height, with a positively controlled drive, e.g. mechanically, by means of a blade having a shape corresponding to that of the individual wrapper required for the cigar filler in question. After the wrapper is cut out, it is lifted by the suction head 16 having apertures for the passage of negative pressure, created by a suction pump, through the hollow suction duct 17. The suction head 16 carried by the arm plate 2 then moves in direction S, in a horizontal plane, by the intermediary of the rotating cam 6, the gear segment lever 5 and the gear 4 on hub 3, from the stamping table to the rolling nest, or to the wrapping station which holds the cigar filler 33.

The movement of the suction head 16 is controlled so as to permit the end of the cigar wrapper to be placed directly over the thickest part of the cigar filler, i.e. near the end to be lighted. To obtain the proper positioning over the end of the cigar filler, the suction head, independently of the motion already mentioned, can also be swivelled radially in the same horizontal plane in direction F, by means of the rotating cam 15, the leverage -14-12a-12-11 and the roller 9 guided in the slot 10.

When the correct radial position of the bearing support 7 and the suction head 16 is reached, rotating motion of the suction head is achieved by means of the rotating cam 28, the gear segment lever 27 and the bevel gears 21-2049-18. When the suction head reaches the final position, the rolling needle picks up the end of the cigar wrapper and deposits it at the end of the filler.

Subsequently the cigar filler is rotated in the rolling nest or wrapping apparatus by means of the rolling cylinders shaped like the filler. At this moment the suction head swings back in accordance with the particular shape of the cigar-filler end, and also starts to move in direction S, by which movement the filler is overrolled with the wrapper up to the front end.

At the end of this process the wrapper is released from the suction head. The cigar filler is then given a few additional turns in the rolling nest to assure that the wrapper is tightly rolled all around the filler. In the meantime the suction 'head reaches its original position above the stamping bed or table where it picks up another individual wrapper. The whole process is then repeated.

Reference is made in this connection to the coassigned US. patent application of Guenther Sevcik and Rudolf Buhlig, filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,758, now abandoned, and entitled Device for Putting the Wrapper on Cigar-Fillers, fully describing the stamping (cutting out) of the cigar wrappers and their transportation to the rolling station.

The overrolling of the cigar fillers with the wrapper is disclosed in another, similarly coassigned, application of Guenther Sevcik, Rudolf Buhlig and Kurt Richter, filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,697, now abandoned, and

entitled Device for Putting the Wrapper Round Cigar Fillers by Means of a Rolling Needle.

It should he understood that the foregoing disclosure relates to one embodiment of the present invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the embodiment described which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for transporting and applying wrappers to cigar fillers, comprising a stationary framework, a plate member, first actuating means for imparting to said plate member a swivelling movement with respect to said framework about a first axis, a support mounted on said plate member, second actuating means for imparting to said support a radial, reciprocating movement with respect to said plate member, a suction head mounted on said support and adapted to hold a cigar wrapper by negative air pressure, third actuating means for imparting to said suction head a rotational movement with respect to said support about a second axis substantially parallel with said first axis and perpendicular to the direction of said reciprocating movement, said second actuating means being adapted to vary the distance between said axes for adjustment of said cigar wrapper with respect to the cigar filler to which it is to be applied, and drive means for independently controlling said first, said second and said third actuating means, said drive means including a driven shaft substantially parallel with said first axis, and three cam means mounted on said shaft, at least one of said cam means operatively connecting one of said actuating means via a first follower operating in a first plane, while at least another one of said cam means operatively connects another one of said actuating means via a second follower operating in a second plane substantially perpendicular to said first plane, each of said cam means separately controlling the connected one of said first, said second and said third actuating means.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said cam means has a guide portion which immobilizes the operatively connected one of said actuating means while the two remaining cam means impart to the two remaining actuating means two out of the respective swivelling, reciprocating and rotational movements.

3. An apparatus for the transfer and the rolling of wrappers on cigar fillers, comprising a stationary frame member, an arm plate mounted for swivelling with respect to said frame member, a support mounted for radial sliding with respect to said arm plate, a suction head mounted for rotating with respect to said support and adapted for holding a cigar wrapper by negative air pressure, said rotating movement being performed about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said swivelling movement and substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding, and three structurally and operatively independent rotatable cam means having a common axis substantially parallel to said first and said second axes, one each of said cam means controlling said swivelling, said sliding and said rotating movements, each of them separately and independently from the respective other two movements.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 further comprising a gear rigid with and rotatable with said arm plate, and a first pivotable two-armed lever, said gear meshing with a segmental gear at one arm of said first lever, the other arm of said first lever being guided by one of said cam means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising a link connected to said support, an L-shaped lever connected to said link, a push rod connected to saidL-shaped lever, and a second pivotable two-armed lever one arm of which engages said push rod, the other arm of said second lever being guided by one of said cam means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising a shaft secured to said arm plate, said support being slidable along said shaft, said arm plate being shaped with a groove substantially parallel to said shaft, and a roller on said support for engaging said groove.

7'. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising two pairsof bevel gears drivingly interconnected, one gear of said first pair of gears being rotatable with said suction head, and a pivotable segmental gear lever driving one gear of said second pair of gears, said segmental gear lever being controlled by one of said cam means.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said two pairs of bevel gears have inverse gear ratios.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising a sleeve fixed to a gear of one pair of said bevel gears and a shaft fixed to a gear of the other pair of said bevel gears and slidably keyed to said sleeve, said shaft extending in the direction in which said support is slidable.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the axis around which said arm plate swivels falls within a vertical plane comprising the axis of the cigar filler to be rolled with said cigar wrapper.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 654,178 7/1900 Patterson et al. l3 l-33 X 654,202 7/ 1900 Tyberg 131-33 X 654,203 7/1900 Tyberg 13l-33 1,077,903 11/1913 Burchardi et al 131-405 1,952,546 3/1934 Granstedt 131-105 2,215,461 9/1940 Clausen 131- 5 2,292,361 8/1942 Carlson 131-l05 2,467,172 4/ 1949 Wheeler 131-l05 2,960,898 11/1960 Wheeler 83100 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,306 1914 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. H. P. DEELEY, B. R. GAY, Assistant Examiners, 

3. AN APPARATUS FOR THE TRANSFER AND THE ROLLING OF WRAPPERS ON CIGAR FILLERS, COMPRISING A STATIONARY FRAME MEMBER, AN ARM PLATE MOUNTED FOR SWIVELLING WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRAME MEMBER, A SUPPORT MOUNTED FOR RADIAL SLIDING WITH RESPECT TO SAID ARM PLATE, A SUCTION HEAD MOUNTED FOR ROTATING WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT AND ADAPTED FOR HOLDING A CIGAR WRAPPER BY NEGATIVE AIR PRESSURE, SAID ROTATING MOVEMENT BEING PERFORMED ABOUT AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID SWIVELLING MOVEMENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID SLIDING, AND THREE STRUCTURALLY AND OPERATIVELY INDEPENDENT ROTATABLE CAM MEANS HAVING A COMMON AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND AXIS, ONE EACH OF SAID CAM MEANS CONTROLLING SAID SWIVELLING, SAID SLIDING AND SAID ROTATING MOVEMENTS, EACH OF THEM SEPARATELY AND INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE RESPECTIVE OTHER TWO MOVEMENTS. 